This invention pertains to a roll for a round baler and more specifically relates to a roll such as that used for defining the boundary of the baling chamber of such a baler.
Conventional rolls for round balers include a central body defined by a steel tube that is usually profiled and extends over a length of 1.2 to 1.5 meters. In order to realize a rotatable support, the tube is carried either by a shaft extending axially through, or stub shafts extending from opposite ends of, the tube, with flanges defined by circular steel plates being mounted between the shaft or stub shafts and the tube. Examples of these structures are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,543 granted to Clostermeyer et al. on Jan. 13, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,623 granted to Schaible et al. on Jan. 27, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 5,195,402 granted to McMillen et al. on Mar. 23, 1993; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,193,450 granted to Anderson on Mar. 16, 1993.
The prior art designs have one or more of the drawbacks of being relatively costly and/or difficult to manufacture, of being difficult to maintain and of resulting in stress cracks forming at the welded joint between the flanges and the tubular central body.